Police clear tribal protest over Ken-Betwa link in MP

Police in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, cleared a protest site on the banks of the Barana river early Sunday, July 19, 2026, ending a sustained demonstration against the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other regional irrigation schemes. The protest, which began on July 3 and was led largely by tribal women, concluded after authorities moved demonstrators back to their villages and transported a key protest leader on a hunger strike to a hospital.

The action occurred around 5 a.m. when a large police contingent arrived at the site near Kupi village. Officials stated the primary reason for clearing the protest was a serious safety risk, as the demonstration was being held beneath an under-construction bridge and partly within the Barana river, where water levels were rising. Additional Superintendent of Police Aditya Patle said protesters were taken in buses to their native villages in Panna and Chhatarpur districts. He denied that any arrests or detentions were made.

Protesters, however, alleged that movement leader Amit Bhatnagar was detained during the operation. Bhatnagar had been on an indefinite hunger strike for 11 days. Police said his health had deteriorated due to the...